Beijing Expert

(BEIJING, March 27) — On the occasion of the 500-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) unveiled the Games’ medals.

BOCOG Executive Vice-President and chairman of the evaluation panel Jiang Xiaoyu attended the unveiling ceremony and delivered a speech at the Capital Museum on Tuesday.

The medals are designed with inspiration from “bi”, China’s ancient jade piece inscribed with dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and are embodiment of traditional Chinese values of ethics and honor.

The medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness. On their obverse side, the medals adopt the standard design prescribed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — a drawing that represents the winged goddess of victory Nike and Panathinaikos Arena, while on their reverse side, the medals are inlaid with jade with the Beijing Games emblem engraved in the metal centerpiece. (more…)

Coal Hill 景山公园
Made from earth excavated to create the Forbidden City’s moat, Coal Hill is the centerpiece of a pleasant park. Aligned directly north of the Forbidden City, Coal Hill, it was believed, would protect the palace from evil spirits. Despite such fengshui, the last Ming emperor was unable to halt the disintegration of his dynasty and hung himself on a cypress tree at the foot of the hill as Beijing fell to a rebel army in 1644. Coal Hill’s top drawing card is the panorama visible from Wanshou Pavilion atop the hill, notably the spectacular views of the Forbidden City.
Address: Jingshan Qian Jie, Dongcheng District (directly north of the Forbidden City) 东城区景山前街,故宫北门外
Phone: 6404 4071
Opening hours: 6am to 10pm, peak-season; 6:30am to 7pm, off-season
￥: 2

Eastern Qing Tombs 清东陵
One of two royal cemeteries of the Qing dynasty, these stately tombs hold the remains of five emperors, 15 empresses and assorted nobility and concubines. The Spirite Way and the tombs of Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi are the most memorable sights. The Eastern Qing Tombs are some 3 hours away from Beijing by car.
Address: Zunhua, Hebei province 河北省遵化
Phone: 0315 - 694 5471
Opening hours: 8am to 5pm, peak-season; 9am to 4pm, off-season
￥: 80 (more…)

Today is the second day of the second lunar month in China, is a traditional festival, called Dragon Head Raising Day. In Chinese legend, dragons dominate wind and rain. There is a folk ballad singing:

On the second day of the second lunar month,
Dragons are beginning to raise their heads.
The weather is quite favorable to the crops,
And bumper harvests we are going to reap.
Look! The maize sticks are very big and thick.
Sorghum and millet dance their very big heads.

(more…)

In Beijing, Temple fairs custom can date far back to the Liao dynasty (916-1125). It became more and more famous in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). While during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), it was very flourish. Temple fairs were said to have their origins in the ancient ’she sacrifice.’ A she was where sacrifices to the local God of Earth were offered. Altars of the Gods of Earth and Grain were also known as Earth Temples. It is from gatherings that took place at these temples that temple fairs derived their name. Later on other than just sacrifice, it developed as a regular market, where people could eat and shopping there. Visitors to the temple fairs included both city folk and peasants from the outlying regions. Customers could buy a variety of locally made products such as ‘Gold Elephant Zhang’s’ double-edged combs, ‘Iron Knife Liu’s’ fruit knives and ‘Sanheju’ wigs, as well as second-hand clothes or jewelry, bamboo and wicker products, flowers, birds, fish and insects.

In Ancient time, temple fairs were held in turn every 10 days at the Earth Temple, the Flower Market, the White Pagoda Temple, the Huguo (Protect the Nation) Temple and the Longfu (Intense Happiness) Temple. There was also the annual Changdian (Factory Grounds) Fair held during the first 15 days of the first lunar month and the annual Pantaogong (Peach of Immortality Palace) Fair held from the third day of the third lunar month inside the Dongbianmen (Eastern Informal) Gate. The fairs mentioned above took place regularly for over 300 years. (more…)